Make First, Ask Questions Later: Fine Art Artist in Residence Isiah “Zay” Bates ’22 Returns to the Studio

Isiah “Zay” Bates ’22 has always found something special in Lancaster: creative energy, connection, and possibility.

After earning his BFA in Fine/Studio Art with a minor in Creative Writing from PCA&D, Bates went home to Baltimore to begin his first major body of work. As the series took shape, he realized what was missing: the momentum that comes from making alongside other artists.

That realization brought him back. As PCA&D’s Fine Art Artist in Residence, Bates now has the space to work without limits and to share his energy and perspective with the next generation of makers. For students, it means a working artist down the hall, one who sat in the same critiques not long ago.

What experiences or mentors at PCA&D had the greatest impact on you as an artist?

I love my friends (we’re so close-knit), and the building and facilities were great, but the professors were what made it for me. I wish I could name everyone, but Becky Blosser and Matt Chapman were the staples of my college experience. They kept me sane, and they kept me in check when I needed it. I quote Becky daily. Matt always talked to me like an adult and gave it to me straight, and I appreciated that.

What does having dedicated time and space as Artist in Residence mean for your work?

It’s calming. My original studio was my bedroom, so almost everything I made, I made sitting crisscross on the floor. Only one of my big pieces really worked, or I could only work on one at a time. Now I have space. I’ve moved almost all my art supplies into the studio so I’ll be there as much as possible, and I’m working on maybe 16 things at once, not counting my writing.

Before, I was forced to carve out specific times to be in the studio. Now I have something to look forward to. Some days the building is open until midnight, and I’m so excited. I leave work with that creative juice still going and run straight to the studio for a couple of hours. If I don’t have an idea one day, or I have too many and don’t know where to start, it’s alright: I’ll have studio time soon. It’s been a great place for me because it’s also a community.

What do you hope to create or explore during your residency?

I’m proposing a show called Embrace, because I want to embrace everything I was afraid to do in college. When I was being graded, I didn’t want to explore too much or get too uncomfortable in my process, so I stayed comfortable with what I was making. Outside that academic setting, I’ve realized I can’t afford to be comfortable, because then I’m not learning. I like to work intuitively, but for this I just want to make, explore, have fun, and get frustrated, in a comfortable environment where I know colleagues and students are also frustrated and learning. We can feed off each other somewhere safe, not just a bedroom where it’s only you and your thoughts.

It’s also about having fun with my practice. The other day I was walking around town and saw a trash can with one Croc on the ground and another sticking out of it. I thought, I’ll take a picture of this and paint it. Just having the space to do little random things like that and have fun with my practice is great. No stress, just make. Who’s to say my work has to be a giant painting or a super-detailed landscape? It can be everyday things. No stress. Just make.

That’s how I work. I’m intuitive, and unless I’m following a theme or prompt for a specific show, I make first and ask questions later. I step back, look at what I’m seeing in the work, and that’s where my ideas for shows come from.

What do you hope to share with students?

Talk to your professors more. You have those conversations in class and during studio visits, but most of my favorite ideas, and the quotes that have taken me this far, came from random conversations. Professors are people and artists, too. Nine times out of ten, they’ve been in your shoes, creatively or maybe personally, and they understand the frustrations most creatives face. In a world where AI is growing, having these conversations with real people matters more than ever.

Where can people see your work?

• Chiques Creek Farm: Nov. 7th Art Market and Nov. 21st, at the launch of the Land Almanac, and in the magazine’s debut issue
• Lemon Street Market: Oct 17th at their 15th Anniversary Fall Festival
• Lancaster Art Vault: the February 2027 show opening, as an emerging artist
• PCA&D Artist in Residence Exhibition: April 2027
• The Pearl Cafe and Bakery: beginning August 2027

Follow Bates on Instagram at @complimentaryart.